Anyone have experience with a fast let down/oversupply (bfing)

DD is 2 weeks old and feedings have recently gotten pretty frustrating. From what I'm reading and seeing, I think my letdown is too much for her and I seem to have an overabundance of milk. It's worse on the right, but happens with both sides. She latches and I can hear her gulping, then at some point she starts choking and needs to unlatch to cough. She re-attaches but is squirming and uncomfortable. Then she keeps un- latching and goes for the nipple but starts screaming. Milk is pouring out of both sides. We both get soaked during feedings and they're taking twice as long. If I can get her back on, it usually slows down and then she falls asleep She's having plenty of wet/poopy diapers and seems to be gaining weight (next check is monday), but the both of us are getting frustrated!

It seems it's either my body or it's a result of all the short, frequent feeding she was doing that made me produce too much. My mom said she had a ton of milk and my brother had latch issues because she was so engorged, but he eventually figured it out.

We're trying one side at a time (based on what I read) now and experimenting with new positions so she's not laying back.

Can anyone help? I think I'm going to call the LC from my hospital today.

Re: Anyone have experience with a fast let down/oversupply (bfing)

Meant to add (iPad won't let me edit ) that I was having oatmeal every morning because it's my favorite breakfast, but I guess I should cut it out. Is it really that powerful of a booster?

Re: Anyone have experience with a fast let down/oversupply (bfing)

This is exactly how our feedings were when DD was born. I had a ridiculous supply and my poor baby would gasp for air all the time. My left breast was out of control....always 10 times fuller than my right. What helped me a lot was to pump for a minute or two before feeding her. I did this for a month or two.

Re: Anyone have experience with a fast let down/oversupply (bfing)

What worked for me was laying down on pillows and laying DD on top of me.

And if I eat an oatmeal cookie, I can start filling bottles without turning on the pump! LOL I avoided it for a while

Re: Anyone have experience with a fast let down/oversupply (bfing)

I got the following information from an e-mail that the head of a La Leche League sent for an oversupply/overactive letdown issue if the baby is gaining well:

"Nursing on one breast at a time is very helpful. It sounds like "block feeding" would help you as well. "Block feeding" is nursing on one breast for several feedings in a row. For example, you might use the left breast from 8am-12pm, then the right breast from 12pm-4pm, etc. When the other breast fills up, you can pump off enough to soften it, but not drain it completely. This will give your body the message to down-regulate your supply. Each time the baby comes to the same breast, the breast is less full, and the fattier, less gassier hindmilk is available.

I would also encourage you to nurse more frequently, and possibly for shorter stretches. Letting the baby nurse for 10 minutes every hour might be easier for him to handle then coming to a very full breast every 2-3 hours. Of course, I would NOT encourage you to time the feedings or end them before he's ready, but if you offer more frequently, he may end up doing this himself. In a nutshell, more frequent feedings on a less full breast may help.

A more reclined position is also very helpful. You can lean back while nursing, either in a reclining chair, or by reclining your body back. The milk doesn't flow as fast this way. Also make sure the baby is snug into you and well supported."

Re: Anyone have experience with a fast let down/oversupply (bfing)

I had a really powerful letdown, milk spurting all over the place. It did calm down after a while, and I fed her downhill, sometimes I just would get a dishtowel and place it under my boobs so we stayed dry.

It did calm down after a few weeks.
Keep up the good work!

Re: Anyone have experience with a fast let down/oversupply (bfing)

I had really powerful letdown, still do at 8 months.

It's hard in the beginning because the baby isn't ready for it and is so tiny. As the baby gets older and more efficient it was never a problem for me.

Re: Anyone have experience with a fast let down/oversupply (bfing)

You can always try hand expressing into a towel or bowl until the initial letdown calms, then get DD to latch.

Re: Anyone have experience with a fast let down/oversupply (bfing)

at times, i stand over kitchen sink, hand express right before nursing...then it isn't like a pressure cooker waiting to explode.

seems like a problem now, but i promise you, it is a blessing. i have never had a supply issue or worry. the baby is going to get better at handling it.

Re: Anyone have experience with a fast let down/oversupply (bfing)

Your body will naturally produce enough milk for twins during the first few weeks. This is a protective measure to ensure that you can meet the needs of your baby. Once she begins to nurse more regularl, you're supply will be tailored to her demand. It's just too early for your body to guesstimate her needs. So, having said that....be careful of an oversupply. Many people will say that it's great, at least you're making enough...blah blah blah. And yes, it is great, but it needs to be managed carefully. Milk at the let down is very high in sugar and low in fat. Too much of this 'foremilk' will result in rapid weight gain and a very fussy baby. The high sugar content in the foremilk is quickly metabolized causing a sloughing off of intenstinal wall cells faster than her little belly can handle. This in turn causes pain and gas. It can also result in green stool, frothy stool and sometimes even small amounts of blood in her stool. In addition, she won't be getting the full fat milk...called 'hindmilk' that she needs to sustain proper development of her fragile systems. So, in order to deal with, nurse her against the flow of gravity....(her on top of you, facing you or even side-lying). This isn't always possible or easy with a floppy newborn. So, when you are using other holds, always have a towel ready when you nurse. Once you feel your let down coming, unlatch her and let it spray into a towel. Some babies automatically let it start draining out of the corner of their mouth and you may want to give her some more time to learn that. But she might never. She might continue gagging, choking and coughing as your powerful letdown streams forcefully to the back of her throat. It's like getting the wrong size nipple, too big an opening for her swallowing capacity. Another thing you can do is manually express for a few minutes to remove some of the foremilk before latching her. This could save her from the frustration of being disrupted in the middle of her meal. It will take about 3 months for you to make what she needs. Until that time, you will need to ensure she gets a good blend of fore and hind milk. Congrats on your baby girl and on your continued efforts to BF her. It's very hard work in the beginning. Don't get discouraged...your body is doing exactly what it was designed to do..you'll eventually regulate!

ETA: I wouldn't recommend block feeding until you try the other methods first. You don't want to prematurely tell your body to make less milk. You're still in the establishment phase. I wouldn't intervene too much with the natural design of things. If after 3 months of catching the letdown in a towel you are still having oversupply issues, then block feeding could definitely help. (I ended up block feeding from 4-10 months). But doing this early could backfire, send the wrong message and decrease your supply. The one thing about having an oversupply that is a blessing is- if you do need block feed down the road and then a growth spurt hits...your supply can always be revved up by more frequent feedings.

Message edited 1/22/2011 1:38:24 PM.

Re: Anyone have experience with a fast let down/oversupply (bfing)

Yes, I did, the same thing happened with DD and still does at 9mos, but she has thankfully adjusted.

What helped me was pump for 2mins before offering the breast with the overactive letdown.

Everyone has given great advice.

FM or FB me anytime!! xxoo

Re: Anyone have experience with a fast let down/oversupply (bfing)

Thanks ladies, all very helpful! I've been trying to hand express into a towel, but it hasn't helped much or I'm not doing it enough. DH is actually on his way out to get my pump. I planned to wait until 3 weeks to pump/introduce the occasional bottle (even though she already had a few in the hospital and once since we've been home before my milk was in), but I'm going to try pumping a min or two before a feeding. I've also been laying back, but having trouble getting her to stay latched that way, Guess it's all going to be trial and error for a while.

Thanks again!